OUR USUAL SUSPECTS: THREE HEALDSBURG WINERIES WE ALWAYS GO TO

So sorry to completely disconnect but I was SO SICK over the last week that I took the whole week off. I am finally feeling better again but the past week was no joke.

Since I was so sick over the past week, including Valentine’s, we are taking advantage of the Monday holiday and heading down to Healdsburg!

Last night, as we were making our game plan, we decided to stick to our “usual suspects” & have a pick-up day. Somedays we like to explore new wineries but some days, we just stick to our usual 3.

Basically, our usual suspects are the wineries we basically almost always go to. They are on HEAVY rotation & to make it even better… all on the same road.

In Healdsburg, there is a huge road that goes across the Russian River called Eastside / Westside. Basically, anything before the Russian River is Eastside {& correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe Eastside is considered Windsor?} & after is Westside: entering Healdsburg & the Russian River Valley.

In fact, back in 2013, I used to spend a LOT of time on this road. I lived in Healdsburg and worked on Eastside… in fact, one of my favourite early memories of that time was driving at sunrise from San Francisco to wine country.

Throughout the years, we’ve really made a home with these three wineries. We like them so much that we became members {winery speak for joining the wine club and committing to a certain amount of bottles per year} at each one of these wineries.

I should really do a post on this, but if there is a winery you just LOVE, I highly recommend joining their wine club. It’s a great way to get discounts on wine {it’s almost always cheaper buying direct & they will discount on top of that}, as well as fun member perks.

Member perks vary from designated areas of the winery, ability to picnic {always call wineries ahead and ask them this, members or not}, complementary tastings, VIP events & more. Any questions? Let me know for a future post.

Basically, we like to do this in the order I’m about to list. Ever since we started going wine tasting together in 2014, we almost always finished our night at the last one mentioned. The sunsets are just gorgeous the way everything is facing – think purple and pink skies. Also, this area is very much known for their Chardonnays & Pinot Noirs.

When the sun sets, we either head into the town of Healdsburg for dinner {we LOVE Campo Fina} or just head home.

SO here are the wineries we always go to on Westside Road in Healdsburg!

PORTER CREEK

8779 Westside Rd, Healdsburg, CA 95448 • 707.433.6321

Porter Creek is such a gem & a good time here is guaranteed. It’s a super laidback vibe… in fact, the tasting is in a small shed! That said, it can get crowded but to kill the time you can take a quick walk around the winery and see the chickens & take in the view. It’s not a long, leisurely, stay-a-while tasting {20 mins max really} but you will try some VERY good wines & have a blast with the staff. In fact, here’s a fun little blog throwback! I love the Viognier, Carignane, & Rosé {when I can get my hands on it!}. Tastings are $20 per person but refunded with a purchase of any wine & last tasting is at 4:15. { Porter Creek on the blog here, here, here }

MACROSTIE Winery

4605 Westside Rd, Healdsburg, CA 95448 • 707.473.9303

I talk about Macrostie all the time on Instagram {& here too – reminder to bring back wine Wednesday} but I just love them so much. We fell in love at first sip… seriously. When we first went in 2016 & tried their wines {ps they are sustainable!}, we joined their wine club instantly & it’s a personal favourite of ours. The winery is STUNNING & very instagram-friendly. What’s so fun, is that if you make a reservation {highly recc as it’s gotten quite popular over the years}, they greet yououtside as you walk to the winery with a Chardonnay and you instantly feel like a VIP. We like to order a cheese plate and sit a while. Time goes by fast here! I love their Wildcat Pinot & Chard. Random, but I also love that they use a twist-off top. Tastings range from $25-$75 depending on the experience & their events are a blast! {Macrostie on the blog here, here, here, here }

Twomey Cellars

3000 Westside Rd, Healdsburg, CA 95448 • 707.942.7122

Twomey… our OG. Twomey is special to us since it was our first wine membership together… 5 years later, still going strong! We love to finish the day at Twomey & take in the technicolour wine country sunsets with some Pinot. Here, they have Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, & Merlot. Their sister winery is Silver Oak, which is known for their cabs. In fact, their membership gives Silver Oak perks since Silver Oak does not have a wine club. The winery itself is more modern & the tasting is super casual. You can go through the wines with the friendly tasting room staff or take it outside and go at your leisure. I love their Pinots – all are so good but I’m a sucker for the Anderson Valley. As far as single vineyards, I love the Monument Tree & Bien Nacido. Tastings range from $20-$30 & reservations are recommended, especially for groups bigger than 4. { Twomey on the blog here, here, here, here }

OK- hope you like!!

I’ll get a ton of wine & wine country content up here. It’s something I’m asked quite often, not to mention we go 1-2x a month. Think the #nonspon 411 on wine clubs, Napa & Sonoma guides, a Healdsburg guide {I used to live here!}, and anything else you want. Just give me a shout!

Off to Healdsburg! In fact, I’m stoked because our friend is a winemaker & giving us a private barrel tasting somewhere secret. But first, our usual stop for breakfast: CHICK-FIL-A! It’s the closest one to SF & Erik LOVES the Chick’n Minis.

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essellesse is a lazy luxury lifestyle platform by Shannon Silver focusing on everything that’s important to living your best life – great food, wine, travel, vintage style, fitness and skincare. essellesse evokes a style of lazy luxury that’s fun, intimate, and easy breezy.